Applicants include Whitmore, McAnany, and former county attorney Todd Starr
Rio Blanco County commissioners are scheduled to consider county attorneys Tuesday, Oct. 20, following the tenure of Rose Pugliese, who was appointed less than a year ago.
Former county attorney Todd Starr attended an in-person interview Wednesday, Oct. 14. Martha Whitmore was also scheduled to interview that day. A third applicant, Christopher “Chris” McAnany, is scheduled for Tuesday morning before commissioners consider the appointment during their regular meeting in Rangely.
The Herald submitted a Colorado Open Records Act (CORA) request Thursday for candidate proposals and selection-related records.
Todd Starr
Starr served as Rio Blanco County’s contract attorney from January 2019 to 2021, when he left to become Mesa County attorney. Pugliese was originally named the sole finalist for that position, but later withdrew.
Starr resigned from Mesa County late last month. His career record includes transparency concerns, two ethics investigations, a settled bankruptcy lawsuit, and an ongoing federal employment discrimination case.
Starr’s previous tenure in RBC
Starr’s time in Rio Blanco County overlapped a contentious period in local government following the election of former Commissioner Gary Moyer.
During Moyer’s first official meeting in January 2019, commissioners voted 2-1 not to reappoint longtime County Attorney Kent Borchard. Starr was appointed the following week in another 2-1 vote. Borchard’s departure was one of several disputed personnel decisions that later became central to the successful recall effort against Moyer.
Former county building inspector Jeff Kummer, a 13-year employee, was terminated in August 2019. Road and Bridge Director Dave Morlan, who had served for 17 years, was not reappointed in January 2021.
In a June 2021 investigation, the Herald interviewed all three former employees and examined county records concerning their departures. All described concerns about transparency and the handling of personnel matters. Moyer disputed their accounts and the grounds for his recall.
The investigation documented a substantial increase in executive sessions while Starr was on the payroll. Commissioners held just one session during 2017–2018, compared with 35 from January 2019 through June 2021. The newspaper also identified instances in which executive-session descriptions did not accurately reflect the subjects discussed.
Previous ethics investigations
Before joining Rio Blanco County, Starr served as attorney for Dolores and Archuleta counties.
In 2013, Colorado’s Office of Attorney Regulation Counsel investigated a complaint alleging Starr misrepresented legal research expenses in an open-meetings lawsuit involving Pagosa Springs writer Bill Hudson.
According to reporting by the Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition, the office entered into a confidential agreement requiring Starr to complete an ethics-related course as an alternative to formal discipline. A June 10, 2013, letter stated the complaint would be dismissed if Starr fulfilled the agreement.
A separate Colorado Independent Ethics Commission investigation concerned Archuleta County’s decision to rehire Starr as an independent contractor following his resignation as a county employee in 2015. The Pagosa Springs SUN reported on the investigation in June 2016. In March 2017, Starr told the SUN that the commission had found the allegations unfounded.
Pending discrimination lawsuit
Starr and Mesa County are defendants in an ongoing federal employment discrimination lawsuit filed June 26, 2025, by former managing paralegal Deanna Gohn.
Gohn alleges Starr discriminated against her based on age and sex, gave younger employees preferential treatment and forced her departure in December 2023.
According to the complaint, Starr rated her performance “outstanding” in January 2023 but issued a proposed dismissal notice that November without the progressive disciplinary process she says other employees received.
The complaint also includes allegations from former coworkers concerning Starr’s treatment of older female employees.
Starr and Mesa County deny the allegations. In their September 2025 response, their attorneys maintained that employment decisions were legitimate, nondiscriminatory and made in good faith.
The lawsuit includes a claim seeking to hold Starr individually liable under the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act. Federal court records reviewed by the Herald show the case remained active as of Oct. 15, with discovery scheduled through Nov. 24.
The available records do not establish whether the lawsuit played any role in Starr’s resignation from Mesa County.
Previous bankruptcy settlement
Starr was also named in a bankruptcy lawsuit involving a 2019 Pagosa Springs real estate sale. The trustee alleged Starr knowingly participated in an unauthorized sale and received approximately $71,900 as a secured creditor. Starr’s attorneys disputed the allegations, maintaining that he held a valid secured claim and was entitled to repayment.
According to July 2023 reporting by Charles Ashby of the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel, Starr paid $37,500 to settle the claims in September 2022. The trustee dismissed the claims with prejudice the following month, without a judicial finding of wrongdoing.
Martha Whitmore
Martha Whitmore, another prospective applicant, has decades of experience in local government, water law and natural resource matters. Whitmore previously served as Ouray County attorney and represented the county on the Colorado River District board, including a term as board president. She later served as Montrose County attorney.
She departed that position in April 2025 amid disagreements involving Montrose County leadership and commissioners.
Whitmore stated publicly that Commissioners Scott Mijares and Sean Pond requested her resignation. Pond characterized the departures of several senior officials as voluntary, a description Whitmore disputed.
In January 2024, Ouray County commissioners had also voted to replace Whitmore as the county’s representative on the Colorado River District board amid concerns about potential conflicts involving her legal work. Whitmore denied having conflicts that compromised her board service.
Chris McAnany
Christopher “Chris” McAnany is an attorney with Grand Junction-based Dufford Waldeck whose practice includes local government, land use and natural resource matters.
McAnany is scheduled to interview with commissioners Tuesday morning, ahead of the county attorney appointment appearing on the regular meeting agenda.
Appointment expected Tuesday
Commissioners are scheduled to consider the appointment during their regular meeting Tuesday, Oct. 20, at 1 p.m.
This is a developing story and will be updated.